INDIA: Christian Leaders Demand Social Rights and Physical Security

(Ed. Note: This is a press statement issued by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, the National Council of Churches in India and the United Christian Forum for Human Rights after a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee last December.)

National leaders of the Christian community met the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee at his residence and called on the government to take urgent steps to meet the pressing demands of the small minority community on affecting their legal, social rights and their physical security.

A memorandum presented to the Prime Minister called for restoration of the rights of Dalit Christians, changes in adoption laws to ensure that Christian couples too could legally adopt children, and reforms in marriage, divorce and security laws.

The Christian leaders told the Prime Minister that while many of those responsible for violence against the community in the last two years had yet to be brought to book, fresh threats were being received. Referring specially to Gujarat, the spokesmen told the Prime Minister that hate literature and campaigns had increased in recent weeks. There was a renewed threat to a church in Gujarat's Dang district. The delegation urged the Prime Minister to ensure that the Gujarat government maintained peace and assured the safety of the community and its places of worship in the Christmas season.

The delegation led by Archbishop Alan de Lastic, President, Catholic Bishops Conference of India, and Dr. Rajaratnam, President, National Council of Churches India, consisted of Church of North India Bishop of Delhi Karam Masih, CBCI deputy secretary general Fr. George Pereira, United Christian Forum for Human Rights national convenor John Dayal, Rev. Fr. Lourduswamy, Executive Secretary SC. ST Commission, NCCI vice president Dr. Oliver, Air Marshal Denzil Keelor, President of New Delhi YMCA, Dr. James Massey, Ex-Member National Commission for Minorities, Mr. John Anchanmani, Treasurer, NCCI. Dr. Dominic Emmanuel, PRO, CBCI, and Sr. Dolores Rego, General Secretary, CRI.

Speaking on behalf of over 70,000 nuns in India, Sr Delores told the Prime Minister that the religious sisters loved to serve the people of India, but were feeling a threat to their security. In an emotional voice, she urged the Prime Minister to ensure security for religious women.

While focussing on the issue of Dalit Christians, personal laws and security, the delegation also urged the Prime Minister to declare 2000 AD as Yesu Christ Jayanthi Year and to give Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land concessions given to Haj and other pilgrimages.

Equal Rights to Dalit Christians

At the dawn of Independence and the adoption of the new Constitution of the Republic of India, pro-active legislation was enacted to empower the Dalits who had suffered from three millennia of subjugation and discrimination. This laudatory Constitutional provision was however communalised when through a Presidential order in 1950, the rights and privileges were limited only to Hindus. Later, it was amended twice to include the Sikhs and Buddhists through sustained struggle, won for themselves all privileges and rights given to Dalit Hindus. The Dalit Christians however are being still denied these privileges accorded to other citizens of their status in the Indian society. This discrimination violates all norms of natural justice and is against the avowed principle of secular India. Successive governments gave assurance but failed to fulfil it.

The Father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi and the architect of the Constitution, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, have unequivocally stated that a change in religion does not bring about any change in the social status of the former untouchable convert.

They continue to suffer from the same social, economic and educational infirmities. In fact the situation worsens for them as they are denied all facilities in many areas which are given to their kin. Your government is committed to social justice. Hence we would like you to implement it in restoring the rights of the Dalit Christians.

Personal Laws

We take this opportunity to impress on the government once again to move necessary legislation in Parliament at the earliest. The four bills are

1. The Christian Marriage Bill (the existing one is over 100 years old),
2. The Divorce Bill (which apart from being more than a century old, is also discriminatory against women)
3. The Christian Adoption Bill (At present Christians are discriminated against as they can only assume guardianship of a child, while Hindus can legally adopt children.)
4. The Succession Bill which regulates equitable share of property among heirs.

All four Bills have been pending with government for long, and successive ministries have not brought the Bills before Parliament. The Christian community is deeply distressed at this apparent lack of concern by the governments in power.

Yesu Christ Jayanthi 2000

The government has accepted to release a stamp on the 2000 anniversary of the birth of Jesus, initiating the celebrations of Yesu Christ Jayanthi. Mr. Vajpayee had in 1998 assured that the government of India would join the people in celebrating Yesu Christ Jayanthi 2000. We hope that as the year 1999 comes to a close, the NDA government will take suitable steps in keeping with its tradition of joining in the celebrations of other communities.

Protection of Christian Minorities

Many state governments and central organisations have been tardy in bringing to book all those who have committed acts of violence against members of our community and those who continue to carry out a virulent hate campaign against the Church and the community. We hope your government will take steps to stop such harassment wherever it occurs and to ensure that the rule of law prevails.